5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charlie at his best!, June 8, 2000
This review is from: Mr Guitar (Audio CD)
I've long since worn out my vinyl version of this recording! Delighted to get it on CD. Great sound. As a classical guitarist, Charlie was average, but he did something special and wonderful on his down-home stuff like "Mama I'll be Home Someday". We'll truly miss this great musician.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Aging Gracefully with the Charlie Byrd Trio, March 8, 2008
This review is from: Mr Guitar (Audio CD)
This CD is a reissue of the 1961 LP with the same title. Guitarist Byrd is backed by his two cohorts from the Charlie Byrd Trio at the Showboat Lounge in D.C., bassist Keter Betts and drummer Bertell Knox.
The tone of the CD is a bit brittle and thin, but that has a lot to do with the analog recording technology of 47 years ago. (Classical guitar aficionados might care to note that this recording was Byrd's first release with a Fleta guitar, considered by many to be the sine qua non of classical guitar makers in that epoch.)
The music itself is a mixed bag of originals intermixed with jazz standards by Ellington and Gershwin. Byrd's playing showcases his Virginia roots, with far more of a down-home bluesy soulful approach than his former mentor Andrés Segovia would ever have tolerated. But this is not a classical guitar recording in the least bit.
My own favorite on here would have to be "In A Mellow Tone", a famous hit by Duke Ellington. Byrd seems most at home here. His own tune "Funky Flamenco" is a tongue-in-cheek romp with Andalusian rhythms, a piece Byrd himself said "This is just a pseudo-flamenco jazz thing... completely in fun."
A good selection for jazz fans, guitar fans, or lovers of fun good-time music.
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